This invention relates generally to providing programming information in response to spoken requests.
Electronic programming guides provide a graphical user interface on a television display for obtaining information about television programming. Generally, an electronic programming guide provides a grid-like display which lists television channels in rows and programming times corresponding to those channels in columns. Thus, each program on a given channel at a given time is provided with a block in the electronic programming guide. The user may select particular programs for viewing by mouse clicking using a remote control on a highlighted program in the electronic programming guide.
While electronic programming guides have a number of advantages, they also suffer from a number of disadvantages. For one, as the number of television programs increases, the electronic programming guides become somewhat unmanageable. There are so many channels and so many programs that providing a screen sized display of the programming options becomes unworkable.
In addition, the ability to interact remotely with the television screen through a remote control is somewhat limited. Basically, the selection technique involves using a remote control to move a highlighted bar to select the desired program. This is time consuming when the number of programs is large.
Thus, there is a continuing need for a better way to provide programming information in response to spoken requests.